Harry Potter and the Family who Lived
by Midnight-Gem94
Summary: One night on his tenth birthday Harry makes a desperate wish to be loved and have a real family. His wish sets off a chain of events that changes everything,Lily and James Potter never died but why have they only awoken now?
1. Prologue

**Hi…this is my first fanfic. I'd appreciate any comments you have to make so please review. Basically, this story is about what would've happened if Harry's parents never actually died and how his life would be if they came back. I, out of curiosity, searched and found a few other stories with the same sort of idea, but my story is going to be quite different. I hope you like it!**

Prologue

Harry James Potter looked for all the world an ordinary boy of ten. He was a little short for his age and more than a little skinny, a fact emphasized by his overly large clothes passed down to him by his cousin, but Harry Potter was not an ordinary boy of ten. He was far more than that; he just didn't know it yet. Still, Harry couldn't deny that a lot of very strange things happened to him.

Once, his aunt Petunia had tried to make him wear a very horrible orange and brown cardigan that had once belonged to his cousin, as she tried to force it over his head the cardigan got smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than a handkerchief, fortunately Aunt Petunia assumed it had shrunk in the wash.

Another time was when his Aunt had attempted to deal with his extremely messy hair by cutting it almost all off except for his fringe (which she left to cover the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, a mark he had gotten in the accident that killed his parents). That night Harry had gone to bed dreading school the next day. However, when he awoke, his hair had gone back to how it had been before Aunt Petunia cut it. Harry couldn't explain how it happened and inexplicably, his aunt and uncle were furious.

Yes a lot of inexplicable things happened around Harry Potter. And yet the boy could not help but wish as he lay in his cramped bed in the cupboard under the stairs that he could have what most other boys his age had, and he didn't mean toys or pocket money or even his own room. No, what Harry wanted was a parent, a real parent who would love him and care for him.

Because Harry Potter was an orphan, his parents had died in a car crash when he was only one year old. His aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon, who he currently lived with, hated him. His cousin Dudley bullied him and he had no friends because all the children at his Primary school were scared of Dudley. In short, the boy was completely alone. Whenever he tried to ask about his parents his aunt would purse her lips angrily and his Uncle would shout at him. There were no pictures in number 4 Privet Drive of them. Harry didn't even know what they looked like.

When he tried to search his memory for an early image all he saw was a flashing bright green light.

But we're getting side tracked.

Harry Potter had just turned 10 years old. It was pitch black in his spidery cupboard and Number 4 Privet Drive was deathly silent; the only one awake was the small birthday boy. It wasn't very often that Harry thought of his birthday, you see, he'd never gotten a present before or a birthday cake…he'd never even been wished happy birthday. But for some reason, as Harry Potter realised that another year of his life had gone by without happiness, comfort or love, he began to cry. Silently he cried with rivers of tears running down his cheeks, begging for someone to love him, wishing that his parents hadn't gone and left him.

And as Harry Potter cried, many miles away in a small ordinary town in Wales two people woke up in their hospital beds. Slowly the red haired woman turned to her husband who lay in a bed next to hers and said one word in a voice hoarse and cracked from lack of use, before both of them succumbed to exhaustion. Almost immediately after, Doctors rushed into the room, checking their machines and running tests. None of them had heard the woman murmur her son's name.

**So that was the prologue! Interested? Plz review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Awake

**Hi, this is the first chapter, I hope you like it plz review, plz!**

Chapter 1

Awake

Lily Potter blinked blearily up at the white ceiling. Where she was, she did not know. Neither did she know how she got there, she didn't really care either. The only thing that kept turning over and over in her head was whether her son was alright. Was he alive? Was he nearby?

She desperately needed to know. She finally gained enough strength to turn her head. She was immediately greeted by the sight of her husband. He was apparently sleeping soundly…on a hospital bed…

Lily glanced around the room. She seemed to be in a Muggle hospital room but she could not remember how she'd gotten there. She attempted to sit up, wincing as her joints groaned in protest. Lily felt a sharp tug in her wrist; she looked down and saw that she was hooked on to an IV.

_Definitely a Muggle hospital_…

As she was just going to pull it out a plump jolly looking doctor strolled into the room.

"Oh my!" the woman exclaimed in a welsh accent, quickly, she poured some water into a glass from a jug on a counter nearby Lily's bed, she handed the glass to Lily who drank it greedily, suddenly feeling as though she hadn't drunk in years.

"Harry," she croaked after finishing the water, "where's Harry?"

"Harry?" the doctor asked seemingly puzzled, "is that him?"

She gestured to the sleeping James.

Lily shook her head desperately.

"No…my son, where is he?" she asked wearily.

The older woman frowned.

"I'm very sorry dear but I don't know who you're talking about," she said apologetically, "You and the gentleman over there have been here for almost ten years, never had any visitors…we don't even know your names or what happened to you. You two appeared entirely unconscious in someone's back garden on Halloween night nine and a half years ago."

"We've been… unconscious for… nine and a half years…?" Lily stammered. The world seemed to be crashing around her. Why hadn't anyone visited, taken her and James to St Mungo's or at least have told the hospital staff who they were? Did no one know they were there?

If so then had they completely disappeared from the wizarding world? Did people think them dead?

Suddenly it all came rushing back.

She remembered James' cry.

"_Lily, it's him…take Harry and go! I'll hold him off!"_

She remembered racing up the stairs, two…three at a time, her baby cradled in her arms. And she remembered facing him, that evil dark wizard, and begging for him to take her instead of her baby, a flash of green light, then…nothing. It was all blank from there…darkness.

_Harry?_

She needed to know if he was all right.

She looked back up at the baffled doctor.

"Lily," she said softly, "my name's Lily Potter…and that's my husband James…I don't know how we got here…where are we exactly?"

"You're in Chepstow hospital, Monmouth shire, Wales," the doctor said, "Where do you live Mrs. Potter?"

"England," Lily said blandly. As she searched for a believable answer to the doctor's questioning gaze there was a loud groan from the other bed.

"Ouch!" James hissed sitting up and yanking on his IV, "What the hell is this bloody thing?"

"Mr. Potter!" the doctor cried rushing his side, also handing him a glass of water, "please don't!"

James eyed the woman suspiciously.

"Who are you then?"

"James…" Lily sighed; her husband looked around his face brightening considerably.

"Lily!" he cried elatedly, then he seemed to take in his surroundings, "what...?"

"My name, Mr. Potter, is Dr Gladys Jones," the woman said smiling comfortingly at James' confusion, "You may call me Gladys."

"Thank you Gladys," Lily said gratefully as her husband whetted his throat, "I'm not sure exactly how we got here…but we need to get back to England, it seems we have been missing for a very long time."

"What do you mean?" James asked, suddenly his eyes grew wide and fearful, "Where's Harry?"

"I don't know…"Lily answered faintly, "but we've missed…almost ten years…"

Gladys watched James deal with the information. The man seemed to weaken before her very eyes as his wife repeated what she herself had learnt that morning.

"I'm afraid," Gladys stated in astonishment when Mr. Potter demanded to be released from hospital immediately, "that we cannot allow you to leave until further examinations are complete, please understand that you have been unconscious for a very long time, your bodies need to adjust; we can't just let you go as soon as you wake up."

"But we're fine!" James exclaimed, "everyone at home is probably wondering where we are…our son…"

At this James' face turned white as sheet and he slumped back unto his pillows.

"You see Mr. Potter," Gladys said going to check his IV was still in place, "You're tired, you both are, I'm certain you won't be here for much longer…if you'd like, you may phone your family."

James and Lily exchanged a defeated glance. None of their friends would have phones and their parents had passed away long ago.

Lily thought desperately for a moment to call her sister but then she realized that she didn't know Petunia's phone number and she wasn't sure her sister would be much help anyway.

And so the Potters' had no choice but to wait until they were released, a week later, from the hospital. Of course, they were sent out into Wales penniless, wand-less and not knowing exactly how to get home. However James soon _borrowed_ some money from one of the shops in town, enough to buy them a few train tickets and a map, because their wands were nowhere to be found, and the two set out to find their way home.

"James…" Lily whispered as they made their way to the fireplace, "are you sure a witch lives here?"

"Positive," he answered searching over the mantelpiece; his hands grasped the tiny pot he was looking for, "see, I told you I saw her use a wand to fix her bag strap."

"Alright," Lily said taking the pot and opening it, sure enough it was filled with floo powder, "I think we should go see Dumbledore first, he'll know where Harry is and…maybe he will understand exactly what happened that night."

"Right, Dumbledore it is," James said determinedly taking a box of matches from his pocket and lighting a fire, "You go first, I'll be right behind you."

Lily nodded and took a handful of the floo powder; she stepped into the fire which turned emerald as she threw the powder in and shouted, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Head Masters Office!" and she disappeared in a roar of flames.

Albus Dumbledore had been sitting tranquilly behind his desk, enjoying a bowl of lemon drops and working diligently to put together the mysterious pieces of a most important puzzle. He had just had his supper and was not expecting any company for the rest of the evening. Of course, and Dumbledore would attest to the fact, things do not usually concur to what you expect. So when emerald green flames erupted in his fireplace, he merely raised his half moon glasses higher on his nose and waited to see who was arriving.

However, as unflappable as he was, even Albus Dumbledore could not restrain his cry of surprise when Lily Potter stepped out of the fireplace, closely followed by her husband. Dumbledore stood slowly watching in amazement as the two dusted off their clothes.

"Sir," James said, looking up to see the old man watching them with shock written all over his face, "We need to talk to you."

"Yes, professor, we need to know…what happened to us and…where's our son?" Lily asked beginning to wring her hands worriedly, "Is he…is Harry alive, sir?"

Dumbledore stared at them for a long moment silently. "Who are you?" he asked evenly.

Lily and James exchanged a worried glance. "Sir," Lily started, "I know this may seem strange but it really is us…"

Before she could finish Dumbledore raised his wand quickly and muttered something under his breath. Both Lily and James felt almost as though a warm breeze had fluttered over them for a moment before leaving them tingling slightly but, to Dumbledore's amazement, just as they had been.

"Lily…James…it really is you…" The old man murmured.

"Yes sir," James said almost impatiently, "but we need to know about Harry…"

Both of the Potters were about to rain a thousand more questions on the professor when they noticed the tears running down his cheeks and into his long white beard.

"Sir?" Lily asked concernedly as she and James walked closer, "Sir, what is…"

But she was cut off as Dumbledore came swiftly round his desk and pulled both of them into a tight embrace.

"It is quite…amazing, to see the both of you again," Dumbledore said shakily as he released them, "why don't you have a seat," he waved a hand to the chairs before his desk, "I think we have much to discuss."

"Sir…really, we need to know, about Harry…" James began but Dumbledore raised a hand.

"He is alive," Dumbledore said smiling.

Sighing with relief, Lily sank into a chair, tears sprang to her eyes as released the pent up worry inside her.

"We've missed so much…he's ten years old now," James muttered, "Who has him, is he with Sirius?"

At this Dumbledore frowned.

"I think, I was right to say that there is much to discuss," he said sitting down , "Why don't you start with telling me exactly what happened the night that Voldemort came to your house."

And so the Potters told him everything that they remembered, and everything that they knew had happened since. During that time, after a few seemingly strange questions from Dumbledore, James came to an awful realization about someone he thought was a friend, and learned of the fate of the person he trusted most of all. Lily gripped his hand tightly through it all, her mind was churning trying to accept and understand everything that had happened in their absence. But when Dumbledore said that he had left Harry in the care of her sister and her husband, Lily could not help but leap to her feet angrily.

"Why!" she cried, her green eyes flashing angrily, "Why would you do that…she'd have hated him… you couldn't…I need to see him…now!"

She was in such a state that words seemed to be coming to her with great difficulty, but Dumbledore understood and too rose steadily to his feet.

"Please Lily, understand," He began calmly but in a tone that ordered she listen, "When you both willingly attempted to sacrifice your lives in order to save your son's you gave him a powerfully magical protection that no spell could ever offer. That night when Voldemort turned to curse your son, it backfired; Lord Voldemort was supposedly destroyed by a one year old boy. As you two had disappeared and were assumed dead, and Mr. Black was incarcerated for a matter in which I now know he had no involvement, I did the only thing that would ensure the boy's protection.

"I realised that if Harry was placed in the protection of someone who shared your blood, neither Voldemort nor his followers would be able to find or harm him whilst he was in their care. I will admit that I did not fully understand the nature of your sister's resentment towards you or magic in general, I'm afraid Harry may have had a less than wonderful childhood at their hands…however, he was fed and clothed and given a place to sleep and kept far away from what would have been a far worse fate had he stayed in our world."

"And what is that?" James asked gravely. Lily was beyond talking.

"Well James, your son is known far and wide throughout the wizarding world as 'the boy who lived', the boy who vanquished the most powerful dark wizard in our time, surely you see that growing up with that much attention would have been dangerous to the boy's sense of self?"

Lily gave a non-committal nod of her head and James sighed.

"When can we see him?"

"What do you mean _when_ James?" Lily asked testily, "We're going to see him immediately!"

"I'm not sure that's for the best," Dumbledore started but then began again at the look Lily gave him, "It's just that I have reason to believe that except for your name's Harry knows nothing about you, and I'm sure it would be more prudent if I went to collect him, in order to avoid unpleasant confrontations."

James turned to look at his wife. She seemed to be going through some kind of internal struggle. He chose to answer instead.

"Alright sir…if you really think that's best, I trust you," James said, then he smiled, "And if by 'unpleasant confrontations' you mean Lily cursing Petunia into the next millennium then…you're probably right."

Lily grumbled a little but sank back into the chair. Dumbledore smiled kindly at her, "Don't worry Lily," he said reassuringly, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Or I'll come after you." Lily added impatiently, beginning to tap a foot against the floor.

James chuckled taking Lily's hand.

Dumbledore stood watching the two for a moment and a sad smile came to his face.

"I cannot fully describe how it feels to see you both again," he said warmly before disappearing with a flick of his wand.

"I thought you couldn't apparate or disapparate within Hogwarts grounds," Lily commented after a few moments.

"Yeah but being Dumbledore must have its perks," James answered mysteriously.

Albus Dumbledore appeared with resounding crack directly in front of Number 4 Privet Drive. The residents of said neighbourhood, who were either settling down for the night inside their houses or enjoying the remaining sunlight in their back gardens, generally assumed the sound was a car back firing. So Dumbledore's arrival went completely unnoticed.

The tall wizard moved with long purposeful strides past the rows of begonias that lined the path to the Dursley's front door. Without any hesitation he rapped three times, sharply, on the door.

"Just a moment!" came the sound of a woman's voice from within the house.

And then a few moments later Petunia Dursley received a huge shock as she opened the door to the unexpected visitor who had interrupted her usual night time wipe down of the kitchen. At her resounding yelp, her over weight husband appeared huffing and puffing from a side door. When his beady eyes met Dumbledore's twinkling blue ones, his round face turned an unpleasant puce colour. Both Dursley's were rendered speechless as they gazed at the wizard.

"Good Evening," Dumbledore said smiling slightly at them, he turned to Petunia, "you might recognise me; we have corresponded of course."

Petunia whimpered. Vernon Dursley drew himself up to his full height.

"What is the meaning of this sir?" He blustered coming to stand next to his wife, "Turning up at our house at this time…dressed in that manner…our neighbours can see, sir!"

"Then perhaps I should pretend you have invited me in," Dumbledore suggested moving swiftly past the Dursleys, "You may be wondering why I'm here."

"We most certainly are!" Petunia said sharply, recovering her voice, behind her Vernon shut the door, "If you've come to take the boy to your ridiculous school then…"

"As you may remember Petunia, students enter Hogwarts at the age of eleven," Dumbledore interrupted her, he continued into the house to the sitting room, the indignant Dursleys following.

"No, Petunia," Dumbledore continued as he conjured a chair for himself and gestured for the Dursleys to sit down, "Harry Potter will not be going to Hogwarts until next year, however I have indeed come to collect him, before that I intend to speak with the both of you and Harry, of course, about something very important."

"He's in bed…" Petunia said coldly.

"Yes, in the cupboard, isn't he?" Dumbledore asked conversationally but there was a steely edge to his voice.

"I'll go get him," Petunia said pursing her lips, a pink tint appearing in her cheeks.

While she was gone, Dumbledore and Vernon sat in complete silence, Vernon's face constantly changing colour and Dumbledore twiddling his thumbs and gazing interestedly at the pictures on the walls of the room, none of them included Harry.

A short time later Petunia returned, a small drowsy boy followed behind her. Petunia sat on the couch next to her husband and Dumbledore smiled kindly at the boy who was gawking at him in astonishment.

"Harry, it's been years, you mustn't remember me," Dumbledore said, "we haven't met since you were a baby…I must say, you look remarkably like your father."

"I do, _really_?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Yes, you certainly do," Dumbledore chuckled at the boy's expression, "but you have exactly your mother's eyes."

"Why have you come here?" Petunia cried suddenly, "To tell him about my dead sister and her freak of a husband!"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. He regarded Petunia steadily over his half moon glasses until she could no longer meet his eyes and had begun to squirm uneasily in her seat. Dumbledore turned away from her and looked at Harry once more.

"Harry," he said warmly, "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore and I have come to take you to your parents."


	3. Loved

**Hi, thanks for your reviews, they mean a lot! Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it…**

**Btw- the hospital in the last chapter was made up…I don't actually know if it exists…lol.**

**Harry Potter belongs to the genius JK Rowling.**

Chapter 2

Loved

Harry had had a tiring day. When he got up that morning he was immediately sent out to mow the lawn before breakfast, after he'd eaten his toast he was sent to prune the hedges. He had a short rest before his lunch of dry bread and a lump of cheese (he'd eaten this while watching his cousin scoff five big bags of crisps, a big bar of chocolate and a fizzy drink) and then he had to weed the begonias.

By dinner time he had lost track of the number of jobs he'd done for his Aunt and Uncle and was completely exhausted by the time he fell into his tiny bed in the cupboard under the stairs. Harry fell asleep not knowing that that night would be the most miraculous one of his life.

He awoke to a sharp rapping on the cupboard door.

"Up!" his aunt said shortly, "get up, now!"

Harry sat up blinking blearily as he reached for his glasses. He opened the cupboard and followed his aunt towards the sitting room. He didn't ask what was going on, partly because he was still groggy and also he'd been told from an early age not to ask questions.

_Wow!_ He thought as he walked into the room. Sitting there was an old man with a long white beard, he was wearing flowing midnight blue robes and a purple cloak and on his head was a tall pointy hat decorated with silver stars. Perched on his long crooked nose were delicate half moon spectacles and his clear blue eyes sparkled behind them.

"Harry, it's been years, you mustn't remember me," the strangely dressed man said, "we haven't met since you were a baby…I must say, you look remarkably like your father."

Harry was shocked. But he was pleased too; this man said he looked like his father. A warm feeling spread through him.

"I do, _really_?" he asked. If this man knew his parents then maybe he would tell him about them and Harry desperately wanted to know about his parents.

"Yes, you certainly do," The old man chuckled, "but you have exactly your mother's eyes."

Harry smiled and was about to ask more when Aunt Petunia interrupted.

"Why have you come here?" She shrieked suddenly, "To tell him about my dead sister and her freak of a husband!"

Harry looked down at the floor, his fists shaking. He hated it when his aunt and uncle said horrible things about his parents. The way he had imagined them was so wonderful and he didn't like them trying to destroy that. There was a long silence; Harry kept staring down at the carpet, wondering what was going on.

"Harry," the old man's voice came warmly, Harry looked up at him, "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore and I have come to take you to your parents."

Harry just stared at him.

"Are you mad man!" Uncle Vernon shouted, "His parents have been dead for almost ten years, unless _you people_ can bring back the dead…"

"There is no way to bring back the dead," Dumbledore said calmly, "It has simply just come to my attention that Lily and James Potter never actually died."

Harry gasped at the same time his Aunt leapt to her feet.

"You mean they were alive all these years!" she cried angrily, "And they still left us to care for their child while they were off having a jolly time, I suppose!"

"Calm down Petunia!" Dumbledore said in a voice that commanded obedience, "If you will just sit and listen, I will explain everything."

And so he did, and Harry listened. The truth was, it was all a little more than unbelievable and half the time he was very tempted to ask the professor who he thought he was kidding. But his Aunt and Uncle, despite looking very angry and uncomfortable, did not dispute anything the man said and when he was finished the two of them simply sat in silence with sour expressions on their faces, though Petunia's also held a great deal of something else that Harry couldn't identify. He turned to Professor Dumbledore who was watching him closely.

"I'm…a wizard?" Harry asked in a tiny unbelieving voice.

Dumbledore simply nodded.

"And my parents…they're wizards too?"

"A witch and a wizard," Dumbledore said smiling, "And they're very anxious to see you again Harry."

Aunt Petunia made a small noise in the back of her throat.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Harry asked suspicious, suddenly having the horrible feeling that this was all some kind of awful joke.

"Hmm…let's see," Dumbledore mused, "Would you like a seat Harry?"

Harry nodded hesitantly.

Dumbledore reached inside a tiny pocket in his cloak and removed a long thin wooden stick. He waved it languidly and a soft plush bean bag appeared so suddenly next to Harry that he yelped and jumped away.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked with wide eyes, even as he sank onto the bean bag.

"Magic," Professor Dumbledore chuckled, "You'll be able to do that, and much more, when you get older. Magic is taught at my school, Hogwarts, your parents went there and you will too, next year."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked feeling worried, "I don't know if I really am a wizard professor, I don't think I could ever do anything like that."

"Nonsense," Dumbledore waved a hand dismissively, "Haven't you ever done things you couldn't understand when you were angry or scared…inexplicable things?"

Harry thought back to all the times that odd things seemed to happen around him, like growing his hair back in one night…and all the other things.

He nodded at Dumbledore.

"Things like that happen all the time."

"Yes, and we swore to stamp all that nonsense out of you boy!" Uncle Vernon hissed, "But if this crack pot old fool says your good for nothing parents are back then I suppose we'll just be rid of you!"

Professor Dumbledore merely gazed at his Uncle with a slightly bemused expression, but Harry was suddenly very angry. He didn't want anyone saying things like that about his parents, especially now that he knew they were alive and that they wanted him.

"Don't talk about my parents like that!" he exclaimed jumping to his feet and glaring at his Uncle.

"Ah…you think you'll be better off now?" Uncle Vernon asked nastily, "Well your parents are nothing like your Aunt and I, a couple of freaks is what they are, and you're just another one, aren't you boy?"

"I said don't!"

The picture frames on the mantel piece began to rattle slightly. Dumbledore stood and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Perhaps, it is time for us to leave," Dumbledore said softly, steering Harry to the door, "Petunia, Vernon, we can see ourselves out. Harry?"

"Yes professor?"

"Is there anything you'd like take with you?"

Harry thought about it. He didn't really own anything besides his too big clothes that had been passed down to him from Dudley.

"I have clothes," he said after a moment. By this time they had left the Dursleys in the sitting room and were standing in the hall.

"I'm sure you'll soon have new ones," Dumbledore smiled reassuringly, "If that's all then let us get on our way."

They walked through the door and Dumbledore closed it gently behind them. Harry glanced back at it hardly daring to believe it could possibly be the last time he was in that house again.

"Alright Harry," Dumbledore said, stopping once they were standing in the street, "Take my arm, hold on very tightly."

Harry did as he was told. "You may want to close your eyes as well," Dumbledore added, "brace yourself; the sensation can take some getting used to."

Before Harry could ask 'what sensation?' he was already feeling it. He felt sick, as if his entire body was being put under an intense pressure and then suddenly it was over.

He opened his eyes to find himself in a beautiful spacious room, filled with odd and interesting objects. He heard a tiny gasp behind him and turned around. Standing a few feet away were a man and woman. They were staring at him with wide, rather teary eyes. The woman was pale and had long thick wavy dark red hair, Harry thought she was beautiful. The man looked…like him, it was strange. He had the same messy jet black hair, glasses, and they had the same…face. Except for his eyes, the man's eyes were hazel. Harry's eyes were the exact same colour green as the red haired woman's. He suddenly came to an astonishing realisation.

"Mum?" He whispered, "Dad?"

The woman uttered a strangled sob and then suddenly he was being hugged tightly by his mother and father. And Harry Potter had never felt more loved in his entire life.

It was well into the wee hours of the morning when Harry finally succumbed to exhaustion. He had succeeded in staying up all night asking his parents questions and revelling in their presence. Harry had been very reluctant to close his eyes because he felt that when he opened them again he would find himself back in his cupboard and the whole thing had just been a wonderful dream. However, Lily, when she realised that the night sky was gradually getting lighter and lighter, rather reluctantly coaxed her son into falling asleep. Because, she reasoned, he may not be a one year old anymore but he was still a child who needed a good night's sleep.

Dumbledore provided the Potters with room to sleep in that night. So James and Lily tucked their son in that night for the first time in nine and a half years.

"He's gorgeous," Lily whispered as she kneeled by her sleeping son's bed. Beside her James nodded proudly.

"He really is," he said in the same soft tone his wife had used, "I can't believe how much he's grown."

"It _has_ been more than nine years," Lily muttered bitterly, she reached out and began stroking her son's messy hair, in a brighter tone she added, "it's amazing how much he looks like you…even more than when he was a baby!"

"Yeah," James grinned, "I'm glad he kept his green eyes…"

Lily just sighed happily and stroked her son's cheek.

"We've got so much to do Lil," he said seriously, "Everyone thinks we're dead, it's going to be a real fiasco trying to go back into the world, we need a new house, All three of us need new clothes and wands of course."

Lily sighed again, "So, what next?"

"First of all, I'm getting Sirius out of Azkaban," James stated determinedly, "I can't imagine what he's been going through."

Lily shook her head sadly, still slowly stroking her son's hair; her fingers brushed aside the fringe that covered Harry's forehead, uncovering his lightning bolt scar. She gasped softly; her fingers traced the scar tenderly.

"Do you think that's where…?"

James nodded at her gravely.

"Powerful curses leave their mark," He said, "I don't think it can be gotten rid of…especially considering the curse that gave him it, not to mention who cast it."

Lily shuddered and rested her chin on Harry's pillow. One of the boy's hands was clutching hers and she gave it a small squeeze.

"Dumbledore doesn't think he's gone," she said in a small fearful voice, "I could tell by the way he spoke."

James wrapped an arm around her.

"We're going to be better prepared this time," he said firmly.

"He's already separated me from my son once," Lily said and a fire sparked behind her eyes, "I won't let him do it again."

Harry shot up in bed. He blinked blearily and reached for his glasses, he put them on and looked around. For a moment he felt a bit frantic, wondering where he was, but then everything came rushing back. He had parents, he was going to live with them, and he'd never have to see the Dursleys again!

"Oh Harry, you're up," a man's voice came.

Harry looked around. A man was walking into the room, his dark hair was damp and tousled and he ran a hand through it making it even messier than it already was. It was his Dad. He came and sat on the foot of his bed.

"You hungry?" James asked grinning.

Harry nodded and his stomach growled loudly for emphasis prompting his father to burst out laughing.

"We'd better get you some food then," James chuckled, he stood a reached down his hand to help Harry up, "Come on, I think I remember the way to the kitchens."

Harry and James walked down the many stone corridors and many flights of stairs, the castle seemed to be completely deserted. James, realising that Harry was shy, kept up conversation. He wanted to know everything about him.

"So, what's your favourite sport?" he asked Harry as they turned into a corridor in which the walls were covered in paintings of food. All along their journey to the kitchens Harry had been extremely interested in the fact that all the paintings in the castle could move, many of them even spoke to him.

"Er…" Harry started, "I don't really have one…I've played football and rounders sometimes, at school when we had games but…"

"Foot ball?" James asked thoughtfully, "I've heard of that, just wait till we get you a broom though, I bet you'll love Quidditch."

"What's Quidditch?" Harry asked confused.

"_What's Quidditch_?" his father repeated shaking his head and smiling somewhat bemusedly, "It's only the best game there is, it's played up in the air on brooms, there are seven players and four balls," and then he was off explaining passionately the finer points to the game. Then, realising Harry looked a bit lost he paused, "you know what? It's easier to _show_ you how it works…we need to get you a broom, I bet you're a good flyer, I was."

Harry laughed as James winked cockily.

"Right here we are…" James said stopping in front of a large painting of a fruit bowl, he reached out a tickled the pear which began to laugh, much to Harry's amusement, before suddenly turning into a large green door handle. James pulled the door open and gestured for Harry to go inside. Harry found himself in a huge, high-ceilinged room; there were mounds of shiny brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls and a great brick fireplace at the other end of the room. Scurrying all around were tiny, vaguely human creatures. They had enormous, green, tennis ball shaped eyes and bat-like ears and they all seemed to be wearing the same uniform, a tea towel tied like a toga.

When they realised James and Harry had entered they paused and stared for a moment before rushing up and asking, excitedly in their squeaky voices, how they could be of service and bidding them good morning. They were soon escorted to a clean wooden table. One of the creatures bowed low and introduced itself as 'Derry'.

"Would sirs like a cup of tea?" Derry squeaked.

"Yes thank you," James said smiling politely as he and Harry sat, "and some breakfast please, we're starving, got up a bit late."

There was an excited flurry as the creatures hurried to start cooking. Instantly, about six of them came trotting up carrying a silver tray laden with a teapot, two cups, a milk jug and a large tray of biscuits, which they put on the table before scurrying off.

"What are they?" Harry asked softly, watching them work with wide eyes.

"They're house-elves," James said smiling as he took a bite out of one of the biscuits, "I haven't had one of these in years," he said popping the whole thing in his mouth, "try one, they're really good."

So Harry did and it really was the best biscuit he'd ever tasted. By the time they were both sipping their cups of tea, the house-elves returned. This time they were carrying plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, French toast, regular toast, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, ketchup, tureens of butter and Jam and big chocolate scones. Harry's jaw dropped and James rubbed his palms together.

"Now that's breakfast!" he exclaimed much to the House-elves' pleasure, they bowed low and retreated.

"I've hardly ever seen so much food at once!" Harry said staring at the table. His Dad laughed at his expression.

"You _did_ say you were hungry Harry!"

At that, Harry tucked in heartily. While the Dursleys had never exactly starved him, he was never allowed to have as much food as he wanted. Dudley had always made sure to eat all of what Harry wanted, even if it made him sick. This was by far the best breakfast he'd ever had, everything was delicious. Half way through his plate full of food a thought occurred to him.

"Dad?" he asked, turning red as he said it, it was the first time he'd called James that since he initially realised he was his father.

If James noticed then he didn't show it.

"Yes Harry," he said pouring some orange juice into a glass.

"Where's…mum?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Oh…she was always an early riser, she had breakfast already; she's discussing something really important with Dumbledore."

"Oh…" Harry said, and then he blurted out something that had been weighing on his mind, "Am I really going to live with you?"

"Of course," James said seriously, looking up at him, "Look, Harry, I know we haven't been with you growing up…and trust me, we're really sorry about that…"

"It wasn't your fault," Harry mumbled.

"Still sorry anyway," James said smiling slightly, "the point is, we can be a real family now, we'll get our own house and you can have your own room-"

"Really!" Harry said grinning.

"Yeah," James chuckled, "no more dusty cupboards for you, your mum and I'll get you the best of everything, because you deserve it, and Harry…?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't ever have to go back there, alright?"

Harry smiled and nodded.

"Good…now, did you try one of these sausages? They're amazing!"

A little while later when the two had eaten so much they could hardly move someone else came into the kitchen.

"I thought I'd find you two here," Lily said smiling as she came up and kissed them both on the fore head. Making Harry turn red again and James laugh because of it.

Lily sat next to Harry and put her arm around him. She looked down at the mostly empty serving plates and smirked.

"Looks like you had a feast," she commented.

"We did, I'd forgotten how good Hogwarts food was," James answered, "You should've seen Harry's face when the house-elves brought it all out."

"It wasn't that bad!" Harry protested laughingly when James attempted to mimic his expression.

"So, what did Dumbledore say?" James asked when they'd recovered from laughing, offering Lily a scone which she refused.

"Well, good news," she said smiling, "Your parents' house is still alright, Dumbledore said it could probably use a bit of cleaning up now, but he's checked on it a few times over the years and nothing's wrong with it. Oh, and he said that we'll probably have to reveal ourselves to the public soon, especially since we need to appeal to the Ministry about Sirius' innocence, Dumbledore's sent a letter to the Minister telling him to come here as soon as he can…what else? Right! He also sent a letter to Remus…he'll be arriving later today I expect."

"Wow, Remus…I wonder what he's been up to," James said, an odd tone to his voice.

"Dumbledore said he's somewhat kept in contact with him," Lily answered, "Apparently he lives alone in his parents' old cottage in the country."

"Who's Remus?" Harry asked tentatively after a moment.

"One of my best friends," James answered smiling.

"Oh Harry," Lily said suddenly, handing him a bag she'd been carrying, "There're some clothes in there for you, we'll have to get you some more soon, when I get a wand we need to go shopping in Diagon alley, I need some nice robes myself if we're going to be in court at the Ministry."

"When did Dumbledore say the Minister would be here?" James asked as house-elves began clearing away their breakfast things.

"He's not sure but he said the sooner the better," Lily said standing, "He also said that we should prepare for a lot of attention from 'the Prophet'…as apparently we're extremely famous now, especially Harry."

"I'm famous?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Very," Lily said dryly, "come on, Dumbledore wants to speak with you too James, and _I_ want to talk to my son." She added smiling warmly at Harry and taking his hand.

As the three of them prepared to leave the house-elves gathered around once more bowing and curtseying and offering them snacks to take back, James and Harry stocked up on cream cakes and pies.

"I don't know how you can possibly think about eating those after having that huge breakfast," Lily commented in amusement as they excited the kitchens.

"For later," James clarified and Harry nodded vigorously in agreement.

**Ok…good..bad? Review! Please!**


	4. Forgiveness

**Hi! Thanks for your great reviews; they really give me the motivation to write more! **

**Of course, because of the fact that James and Lily have returned, some aspects of the 'Harry Potter' story will change, but I am dedicated to keep to the original story as much as possible because you really can't improve on such a great idea and the characters themselves shall be exactly as Jk Rowling wrote them.**

**Harry Potter belongs to the amazing JK Rowling.**

Chapter 3

Forgiveness

James entered Dumbledore's office alone. Lily was showing Harry around the castle. Apparently Harry couldn't be present for whatever Dumbledore wanted to say and James had a suspicion about what exactly that could be about.

He shut the office door behind him and walked towards the desk.

"Am I right in believing that you know what I need to talk to you about?" Dumbledore asked with a slight smile.

James sighed sinking into one of the arm chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"Only if you want to talk about old 'Voldy'," James said dryly.

"As always James, your powers of perception are uncanny," Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling slightly.

"You don't think he's gone," James said bluntly.

"No," Dumbledore sighed, "I don't."

"And you still think Harry's…the one…in the prophecy?"

"I am more certain of that than I was when we last spoke of it."

James ran a hand through his hair anxiously.

"So, what's being done?" he asked urgently, "If Voldemort's out there somewhere people must be out looking for him, he's been weakened right? Surely if we got him now-"

Dumbledore shook his head gravely.

"Firstly James, no one wants to go searching for a person they all sincerely desire to be gone," he said calmly, "I think it's time you knew that most members of the Order…well…"

James understood from the look in Dumbledore's eyes what he meant and shook his head sadly.

"And," Dumbledore continued after a few moments, "The prophecy I heard, the one I related to you and Lily years ago, makes it clear who the only person is that can and, I believe, most likely _will_ defeat Lord Voldemort."

"But _how,_ Dumbledore?" James asked frustrated, "_How_? Harry, he's just a child…who knows when Voldemort'll be back…we can't leave this kind of thing to fate, I'm not leaving my son to fate, I'll kill Voldemort myself before I let my son face him alone!"

"Harry won't do it alone," Dumbledore said simply, "he wouldn't be able to, there's still time James. Time enough to ensure he knows all that he will need to face Tom Riddle…face him and win. Yes…I'm sure there's much time before then, but Harry will have help, he'll need it from all of us."

"Tell me what I can do and I'll do it," James stated, "I'm not afraid of him, and I'll make sure my son isn't either."

"That is important," Dumbledore said, "but even more important is the fact that Harry must differ from Voldemort in every way, it is up to you and Lily to make sure of that."

"I'm sure Vernon and Petunia did a great job of it."

"Actually, as horrible as living with them was, I believe it may have been beneficial to our cause," Dumbledore said pensively, "if he had grown up in our world, all that attention, admiration…well it would have been no good for him."

"Yes…I suppose it wouldn't be good to give him an opportunity to inherit my big head…" James said thoughtfully, "although, so far he seems really…well shy, quiet and, well, not very much like me at all, in fact he seems to be embarrassed by the very idea of fame…he's a lot more like Lily, I had hoped he would be."

Dumbledore smiled gently. "It is truly amazing, yours and Lily's return; my only regret is that we had not found you sooner."

"Let's not think too much on that, we're here now."

"Hmmm, James, I just want to ask you again to recount what happened that night, I'm trying to understand and it's proving to be difficult."

"Well…like I told you before sir," James started, " I was in the living room with Harry, he used to like when I made smoke rings with my wand," Dumbledore smiled, "Then Lily came in, I set my wand down on the couch, she wanted me to check something for her…said she had a bad feeling," James paused, his mouth became a tight line, "I checked the wards, there were no problems, I told her she was just being silly, well, that's when the alarms went off, I knew who it was immediately. I told Lily to take Harry, she ran upstairs, there wasn't any time for me to get my wand before the door was blasted away, I faced him anyway…told him to get out. Of course he laughed, just laughed.

"Just as I was sure it was the end, Lily was there beside me, I was angry, angry with the situation, angry that she had come back. And then she started pleading with him to take her instead, she just wanted Harry to live," James' brow furrowed, "actually, now that I think about it, he didn't seem to want to kill her…told her to step aside, I wanted her to, I wanted her to run away but Lily was so brave, she would never run and hide. She grabbed my hand and I pulled her behind me, Voldemort raised his wand and then it all just went black…next thing I knew, I was waking up in a Muggle hospital with a bloody needle in my wrist."

"Hmm, interesting…very interesting," Dumbledore murmured, "How long before this did you switch secret keepers?"

"Only about a month," James said quietly, "Sirius suggested it, everyone knew he was my best mate and one of the bravest people you could find, he would be the first choice…he was my first choice but he thought it would be safer if we switched for a while to someone no one would ever suspect. Peter Pettigrew…I can't believe I trusted him with my life, with Lily's and Harry's lives. And then…he let Sirius take the blame…I still can't believe it…"

"The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has agreed to come here tomorrow," Dumbledore said, "It would be best he saw you with his own eyes, once you tell him the truth I am certain Mr. Black will be cleared of all charges."

"Wait…did you say Cornelius Fudge…that _idiot_?" James asked incredulously, "Surely he's not the new Minister of Magic!"

"It's very true…gladly, the nation has not dealt with any severe problems thus far in his term in office, he is a good man, Cornelius, though I'm not sure that appointing him Minister was the best decision ever made…but alas, that is that."

"Blimey."

"Oh, I had almost forgotten," Dumbledore reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out some silvery, folded material, "I can finally give this back to its rightful owner."

"My invisibility cloak!" James grinned as he took it from Dumbledore, "did you find what you were looking for?"

Dumbledore merely continued to smile tranquilly. "I have proven nothing except that it is an exceptionally old cloak, but you knew that already, it has been sitting here in this drawer for nine years, it should be used once again to live up to the glory of its younger days, what did you used to do James? Sneak into the kitchens at night?"

"Sir," James said shaking his head slowly, "I would say you have no idea, but I have a feeling you do."

oOo

"And this, Harry, is where we used to have our meals," Lily said brightly stepping into the great hall. Harry gasped loudly.

"There's no ceiling!"He said in astonishment, his head tilted all the way back and his mouth wide open.

Lily laughed.

"Actually, there is, it's just enchanted to look like the sky," she said smiling up at it, "I can't believe I'd almost forgotten how beautiful this place is." She sighed softly.

"I can't believe it's really a school!" Harry said excitedly, "A school for magic! Can you do some magic mum? I'd really like to see it!"

"Oh," Lily frowned, "I can't really do much right now, you see, I haven't got a wand and I've actually always found it a little difficult to do wandless magic…"

"Can you try?" Harry asked with round eyes, "Please?"

"Hmm…"Lily said smiling, "I suppose I could try…ah right, you see that goblet there?"

"Yes."

"Watch it."

Harry stared at the unassuming silver goblet. It sat there on the long wooden table looking completely normal. Suddenly, it wobbled slightly. Harry's eyes widened and he glanced at his mother. Her eyes were narrowed slightly as she focused on the goblet. Harry gasped as he returned his gaze to the goblet, it was rising steadily into the air and as he watched it began to sparkle and flash in all the colours the rainbow.

"Showing off Lils?" came a voice suddenly from behind them.

Lily started and the goblet dropped with a thud back to the table, once again silver and unassuming.

"James!" Lily cried rounding on him, "I was just showing Harry a bit of magic and you had to go break my concentration, didn't you?"

"Sorry," James chuckled not looking very sorry at all.

"That was amazing mum!" Harry said as he picked up the goblet, turning it this way and that in his hands, "How did you do it?"

"Well, like I said, its loads more difficult to do magic without a wand," Lily explained, "but I just charmed it to float and change colour…Charms was one of my best subjects at school."

"Transfiguration was mine," James said carelessly, at the same time there was a squeak. Harry looked down to see that he was clutching a small mouse. With a cry of surprise he dropped it, gasping when, before it hit the ground, it was once again a silver goblet.

"Now who's showing off," Lily muttered.

oOo

James and Lily held hands in the center of the room. Both of them watched the fireplace anxiously. James was stiff, rigid, he held Lily's hand tightly in his own, almost too tightly, but she did not pull away. She knew he needed her support for this, and she knew about the guilt he felt.

She rubbed soothing circles on his hand with her thumb. His hand loosened slightly around hers.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly running his free hand through his hair.

"It's alright love," Lily said gently, "He'll understand, you know he will."

"I still feel like crap about it," James muttered gloomily, "If I hadn't been such an idiot Padfoot wouldn't have gone to Azkaban and Harry never would've had to live with Petunia…I should've known…Mooney would never…"

"You thought the same about Peter James," Lily said, "It was an awful time…no one knew who to trust…you don't know what he'll say until you…until we…apologise. I had as much to do with this as you and Sirius."

James shook his head but said nothing. Lily sighed looking over at the door through which their friend would enter.

oOo

Remus Lupin had had a tiring day. He was in search of a job, which should not have been difficult considering his qualifications, but _was_ due to the fact that Remus would turn into a highly dangerous and infectious wolf on full moon nights. He, by law, had to state this in his job interviews. Of course no one hired him after that.

Remus had been out job hunting all morning and was happy to be returning home for some rest. He slowly made his way up to his front door, noting with a groan that the paint on it was peeling and needed to be redone. He let himself in and made his way to the tiny living room where he collapsed on the rather old and broken down couch.

He was just about to doze off when he heard an intent rapping on the front room window. He opened an eye to see a brown owl, a letter clutched in its beak, sitting on the window sill. With another tired groan Remus stood and walked over to the window, letting the owl in.

It flew inside, dropping the letter on the coffee table and waiting beside it. Remus picked up the letter, turning it over he recognised the Hogwarts seal. He wondered what this could possibly be about. As he opened the envelope he glanced down at the owl, it stayed waiting for an answer.

Remus unfolded the letter inside and smoothed it out; he immediately recognised the swirling script.

_Dear Mr Lupin,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. It has very recently come to my attention a matter of great importance in which I am certain you would have much interest. I am asking you to visit me at Hogwarts at 8:30 tonight, come discreetly as this matter must remain a secret for the time being._

_Once again hoping you are in good health,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Remus stared at the letter wondering what on earth Dumbledore meant by this 'matter of importance'. He was probably taking a bit long to respond because suddenly he felt a hard nip on his finger.

"Ow!" he cried jumping back, the bird had bit him, "alright then, you impatient thing." Remus muttered looking around for a piece of paper. Quickly he penned his reply and placed it carefully in the bird's beak.

It immediately took off through the window. Remus stared after it, beginning to feel a bit worried about what news Dumbledore had for him. Could it be something about Harry? Remus knew he was living with Lily's muggle relatives somewhere but could he be in danger again or hurt in some way?

Remus glanced at the old couch again but even though he was tired he found he could not stand to fall asleep.

oOo

It was 8:30 when Remus Lupin arrived in a swirl of emerald flames at Hogwarts School. He stepped into Dumbledore's office dusting the ash off his robes.

"Ah Remus," Dumbledore said walking towards him, "it is wonderful to see you again, it has been too long."

"Yes, er, it has," Remus agreed awkwardly, he was anxious to find out what Dumbledore had meant in his letter.

Dumbledore sensed his impatience. "Come with me," he said with a mysterious smile, leading Remus out of his office and into the darkened corridor below. Dumbledore opened a door half way down the corridor and gestured for Remus to enter before him.

It took Remus' eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light inside the room but when he could see properly once again he gasped in amazement. Inside the room were two people, a man and a woman, and they looked remarkably like his friends Lily and James. But that was impossible, Lily and James had been dead for over nine years, were these impostors?

"Who are you?" Remus said, his voice cracking slightly.

Lily and James stood and stepped towards their old friend.

"Remus…" Lily said tentatively, "it's us, we're back…somehow…we didn't die…"

Remus shook his head.

"It's impossible," he said to himself, "It must be some kind of trick."

"I assure you Remus," Dumbledore said gently, "It is no trick, Lily and James have indeed returned to us, although I am not quite sure why or how. I sense that perhaps you have a lot to discuss, I'll leave you."

Dumbledore left the room quickly and silently, closing the door gently behind him. The remaining people in the room stared at each other warily.

"If you really are James…" Remus trailed off.

"Yes?" James asked, eager to prove himself.

"Well, if you really are James then you could become prongs," Remus narrowed his eyes, "can you?"

"I can," James said firmly and in an instant he morphed into an impressive beautiful stag, the markings around its eyes vaguely similar to the shape of James' glasses.

"Prongs," Remus whispered, then he turned to Lily, "Lily…it's really you, how…I mean…"

Suddenly he could contain himself no longer and rushed forward to embrace his two long lost friends. James quickly turned back into his human self, so he could return the fierce hug.

"Oh Mooney," James sighed when they had all broken apart again, "We've got a lot of explaining to do."

Beside him Lily nodded solemnly.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked unable to wipe the grin off his face, "you're back! This is incredible! Wait…Harry, have you seen him yet? Oh James, Lily…I wanted to take him when you…well disappeared…but I wasn't allowed by law to accept guardianship of a child and well…Sirius…"

He broke off, the name leaving a bitter taste in his mouth, even after all those years.

"Sirius is actually part of what we need to explain," Lily said softly.

"Yeah Mooney," James took a deep breath and sighed, "Padfoot didn't betray us…"

"What do you mean?" Remus asked confused, "he was your secret keeper, he-"

"No…he wasn't," James stared at the floor, "Do you remember what it was like then? How you were afraid to trust anyone, people were joining Voldemort every day, everyone was scared and we were depending on Sirius to keep us safe. He found out there was a spy in The Order."

"What?" Remus asked, "Who was it?"

"We didn't know for sure…" James looked up briefly before shaking his head and continuing, "Sirius came up with the idea that we should change our secret keeper, he thought that people would suspect him and target him for information about our whereabouts. I agreed to his plan and…we made Peter the new secret keeper…"

James clenched his fists angrily and gritted his teeth.

"You mean…it was Wormtail?" Remus asked in disbelief, "but…"

"He swore to protect us, I trusted him and he betrayed us!" James exclaimed, "He was the spy, he was the coward…and it's his fault that Sirius is in Azkaban!"

"I can't believe this," Remus said softly, "why didn't you tell me that you switched to Peter?"

James looked up at him finally; Lily took his hand in support.

"I didn't tell you because Sirius and I…we thought it was you," James said weakly, "You were always away somewhere, we never saw you, and when we did you always looked so …out of it, you weren't acting yourself, we thought you were the spy."

There was a long silence then, "I was on a mission."

"What?"

"I was on a mission," Remus repeated, "Dumbledore wanted me to get close to other Werewolves…see what side they generally planned to choose in the war, try to get some of them over to our side…it was stressful…the mission."

"I shouldn't have thought it was you," James said, "I'm so sorry Remus…so sorry."

"We both are," Lily said, "I was there…I'm as much at fault as anyone and looking back…I should've realised it was Peter."

Remus looked both of them in the eye.

"I understand," he said, "and I forgive you."

**Ok…really hope you liked this one, tried hard to get it out, hopefully the next chapter should be up by the weekend. Plz review and tell me what you think! **

**Next chapter will include a meeting with Fudge. **

**Till then….**


	5. Blissfully Insane

**Hi, I know I said i was going to update in the weekend but i was sick and not feeling in the most creative mood...sorry! I worked hard on this chapter so please tell me what you think. **

**Oh and also, it was pointed out that my calculations are wrong concerning Harry's age. Please forgive me, I am crap at math. heh heh...Anyway, for future reference Lily and James were gone for about 8 years and and a few months...I think...unless I am once again wrong, in which case I give you permission to call me a mathematical idiot.**

**It was also said that Dumbledore seemed a bit cruel since he knew that the Dursleys did not treat Harry well and didn't do anything about it. I think there is alot of evidence in the Harry Potter series to suggest that Dumbledore did know to a certain extent that Harry was not being treated too well.**

**His first letter from Hogwarts was addressed to the 'cupboard under the stairs' and let us not forget about Arabella Figg who watched Harry while the Dursleys went out, she was actually keeping an eye on him for Dumbledore. Dumbledore himself just did what he thought was best for Harry's safety.**

**Ok...On with the story!**

Chapter 4

Blissfully Insane

Sirius Black could not remember the last time he had felt the sun shine on his face. He did not have a window in his cell in Azkaban, and the tiny latched window in the door of the cell was constantly closed. His meals were slipped through another latch near the door and the person who brought them never stayed long enough to chat.

Constant isolation and confinement to his cell with very little reprieve often led Sirius to ask himself if he had gone mad. He certainly felt like it sometimes and the constant weight of depression brought about by the presence of countless dememtors did not help matters. But Sirius reasoned that if he was still rational enough reason, even if it was with himself, then he could not have gone insane.

Transforming into his animagus form also helped and he tried to do so as much as possible. He found that the Dementors did not effect him so much when he was Padfoot and that most of the time he was able to sleep through the night in this form.

It was difficult to gage time in Azkaban but Sirius had managed to roughly figure that he had been in the prison for about eight years, give or take a few months, and he knew the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, came to visit the prison about once a year. He had already, by Sirius' calculations, come once for the year. And Sirius never forgot those occasions because it was one of the only times that he had real human contact, the Minister often had brief converstions with him when he visited and always seemed shocked at Sirius' mental state.

The truth was that the reason Sirius had not gone mental was the fact that he was not guilty and he always reminded the Minister of this when he visited. Yes, Sirius was still hopeful for freedom and that was the main reason he lived for Fudge's visits, even though he still thought the man was as poncey as ever. That was why when Sirus heard the the clang and clink of the metal latches and bars that had held his door closed for the past eight years he merely stared at it in confusion.

When it finally swung open it revealed Fudge,looking as portly as ever in his lime green suit and bowler hat, but a curiously sheepish expression expression on his face. The prison gaurd next to him glared darkly into the room and Sirius wondered what the bloody hell was going on. Before he could ask Fudge cleared his throat noisily.

"Er...ehem...yes...well Sirius Black..." Here Fudge paused seemingly trying to find a way to voice something difficult.

"Yes?" Sirius urged after a few long moments.

"Yes..er...right...well...hmm..." Fudge continued to bumble, twirling his bowler hat anxiously in his hands. Sirius resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"With all due respect Minister," he said dryly, "I'd like to get back to my knitting."

Fudge gave him a curious look before realisation dawned and he scowled angrily.

"Sirius Black," Fudge finally said, a look of extreme discontent on his face which by this point was approaching the colour of a ripe tomato, "Recently a rather...er...surprising bit of evidence was brought to light...er...I have spoken to to the er...witnesses...and...well...you are a...free man."

Sirius sat there for a moment on the hard cold floor of his prison cell simply staring at the man who had brought him the un-believable news. For a moment his brain did not process the information and therefore had no reaction it. Fudge stared back at him too although his expression was inexplicably defiant and he had not stopped twirling his hat. Infact it rather resembled a lime green blur.

"Right...follow me," Fudge said suddenly breaking the long silence. He turned on his heel and strode purposefully out of the room. A few minutes later he returned when Sirius had not moved from his position on the floor.

"Are you coming man?" Fudge scowled, "Or would you rather stay here?"

"Wait a tick," Sirius said finally, "I want to know what the bloody hell's going on!"

"You have been set free."

"Why?"

"You have been proven...innocent."

"How?"

Fudge turned an unpleasant puce shade and he closed his eyes.

"Here is really not the place Mr Black," he hissed, "and I'd really rather not spend a moment longer here than I have to, if you feel the same then kindly follow me, we can discuss everything on the way back."

Sirius stood slowly and raised his eyebrows, gesturing for Fudge to lead the way, he did so with a angry huff and Sirius followed him resisting the urge to burst out laughing. However, when he stepped out of the wide iron door of Azkaban prison and the sunlight touched his skin for the first time in more than eight years Sirius could contain himself no longer.

oOo

Sirius followed Fudge aboard the small boat, he took a moment to apreciate the fine furnishings of the room, which appeared much larger on the inside than it did on the outside, before settling into one of the large poufy armchairs near a window. It really didn't look like the inside of a boat at all, more like a very comfortable office.

Fudge was busy talking hurriedly to a young woman who seemed to be his secretary. She had mousy brown hair pulled into a tight knot at the back of her head and wore black wire rimmed glasses. She nodded every few minutes at whatever Fudge was saying, wearing a highly attentive and nervous expression.

Sirius didn't think her particularly pretty, and she certainly didn't seem to be the sort of girl he used to go out with but he still couldn't stop looking at her. He hadn't seen a woman in eight years and she certainly was a damn sight better than Fudge. The secretary soon noticed his eyes on her and she jumped, dropping her clipboard, and flushed scarlet.

Fudge turned around, for the first time noticing Sirius sitting, still completely filthy, on his fluffy white couch. He glared at Sirius for moment before quickly smoothing his expression into a tense smile that more resembled a gimace.

"Doris," he said in a strained voice, "kindly show Mr. Black to the washroom, I'm sure he'd like to clean up and...er...find him some nice robes."

Doris gave a funny little whimper. Fudge huffed in annoyance.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said testily, "we're docked right outside Azkaban and in any case he isn't a crazed mass murderer-"

"I'm not."

"Honestly, I feel as though I'm the only sane person in England sometimes!"

"So do I."

"Oh, 'The Prophet' is really going to have a field day, my career is on line!"

"Pity."

"What with dead people turning up after eight and a half years...and now this! he's innocent! And he never had a trial!"

"Bloody pants, that was."

"And all I want Doris, is for you to show this contributing factor to my impending demise to the lavatory."

"I promise I won't murder you on the way," Sirius promised with a smile in her direction.

Doris beckoned him silently, shooting her boss aprehensive glances but he was busy pouring himself a glass of firewhisky, and led Sirius to a small bathroom equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet, all sparkling clean.

"There are razors in the cabinet there and you should find soap on the top shelf," Doris said timidly.

"Thanks er...Doris, right?"

"Actually my name's Dorcas," she said shakily, "Doris was the name of his secretary before the last one."

"Well, nice to meet you Dorcas, sorry for scaring you earlier," Sirius said gently, "I know I most likely look a fright but I will rectify the situation post haste, I am actually extremely good looking underneath it all."

At that Dorcas cracked a small smile.

"It was nice to meet you too Mr. Black," she said blushing slightly.

"Mr. Black was my father and you wouldn't have been pleased to meet him," Sirius said conversationally, "he was a right old sod my dad...please call me Sirius, that's like the star...not the...er...emotion."

Dorcas laughed softly at that.

"Well I am pleased to you...Sirius."

"Doris!" came a loud shout from outside the room.

Dorcas blanched. "Coming sir!" she cried, "I'll let you clean up Mr Bla...Sirius."

Sirius chuckled as she dashed away flushing scarlet.

"I look like death warmed up and I've still got it."

oOo

When Sirius stepped out of the bathroom he felt like a new man. He certainly was a clean man and that was new. The robes that had been laid out for him were a bit baggy but they were soft and clean, Sirius thought he would never take clean clothes for granted ever again.

He had combed his hair, which had taken a considerable amount of effort due to the fact that it was completely matted, it was still much too long but he thought it suited him in a strange way. He had also shaved away the thick bushy beard that had covered the lower half of his face. He brushed his teeth and smiled at himself in the mirror. That's when he noticed his eyes. Of course Sirius knew how he felt, how he'd been feeling all those years, alone, betrayed, and bereft, but to actually see it reflected in his own eyes. It almost scared him.

"I really do look like death warmed up," he muttered glumly, bringing a hand up to touch his gaunt cheek. He sighed turning away.

As he once again entered Fudge's posh office room Dorcas immediately ran up to him with a tray full of scones and a cup of tea.

"You look like you're hungry," she said softly but then blushed deeply, "I mean...sorry...just..."

"No, I do," Sirius grinned accepting the whole tray, "I mean I am, hungry that is."

Dorcas smiled shyly offering him a seat.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked.

"Actually," Sirius said, "would you happen to know the date?"

"Of course," Dorcas beamed, "it's August tenth 1990."

"Wow, I missed the 80's then..." Sirius muttered, then suddenly, "Merlin!"

"What is it?" Doris asked worriedly.

"I'm twenty nine!"

"Well, that's not old at all-"

"That's not the point," Sirius said looking put out, "I've missed all of it, all of the fun..."

"Well...er, my mum always said she started having the most fun when she was thirty," Dorcas assured him sympathetically.

"Bloody Hell!"

"What is it now?"

"Harry," Sirius said, "Harry Potter, my godson...I can't believe I didn't think of him sooner, he's with muggles, but I'm supposed to have him, I promised Lily and James I'd take care of him til my dying day, I haven't done a good job so far but I'm not dead yet... Where's Fudge?"

"Er..."

"Ah, Sirius Black, you took your time." Fudge said stepping into the room.

"Well, I was scrubbing off almost a decade of undeserved grime," Sirius shrugged.

"Hmm," Fudge mumbled something under his breath, "we'll be arriving in a few minutes, then we'll be taking a _car_ to the Ministry where you'll be having your hearing."

"Hearing?"

"Yes Mr Black, we want to hear what you have to say."

"I thought you said I was proven innocent," Sirius said a spark of defiance lighting his eyes.

"Un officially you have been proven innocent," Fudge said breezily, "I shouldn't worry though, the evidence is over whelmingly in your favour, and these particular witnesses cannot be disproved."

"Why, all of a sudden is there all this evidence?" Sirius asked suspiciously, "and who are these new witnesses? I want to know whatever it is you are not telling me."

Fudge narrowed his eyes.

"You are in no position to be making demands!"

"Am I not?" Sirius gave a haughty laugh, "I was never given a fair trial or allowed a hearing all these years, I expect a full pardon from the Ministry."

"You arrogant...!" Fudge spluttered, but was saved from saying anything else by the captain of the boat announcing their arrival, "Doris, please bring the papers on the desk out with you." He growled before storming out.

"You better go quickly," Dorcas said softly, "I wouldn't put it past him to leave without you."

"Right," Sirius started towards the door, "Thanks Dorcas, for everything."

"No problem." she sighed as he disappered through the door.

oOo

Sirius had never ridden in a car before. Infact he had very little experience with Muggle vehicles, all excepting his flying motorcycle. He briefly wondered if Hagrid still had it, he had been quite fond of it.

The Ministry car was long, black and sleek. Inside, the seats were covered in expensive tan leather and the car itself was equipped with all sorts of interesting gadgets. There was even an attendant in there to make sure they got everything they wanted. Fudge sat across from Sirius dutifully ignoring him by burying his head in paperwork.

Sirius rolled his eyes and glanced out of the window watching the streets of London fly by and relishing the warmth of the sun on his face. Something moved in the corner of his eye. He looked down at the seat next to him. Something was poking out from under the seat. Sirius reached over and grabbed it. Before Fudge had even noticed he's moved he flipped open the news paper and his eyes scanned the front page.

_The Daily Prophet_

_The Family Who Lived_

_There's not anyone in the world who's not heard of Harry Potter, the famous young boy is the hero who rid the world of the evil You-Know-Who at the age of just one. We all were devastated to hear of the deaths of Lily and James Potter, Harry's parents, especially when it was heard that their bodies had not been recovered. Most likely, Aurors concluded, the bodies had been destroyed in the terrible explosion that destroyed the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow after You Know Who turned his wand on the infant Harry. But no, witches and wizards of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, I Rita Skeeter, am here to report to you first, Lily and James Potter are alive..._

Sirius felt the paper slip out of his hand which were now shaking. He looked up slowly to see Fudge watching him with the air of a man waiting for a bomb to explode. But Sirius was not angry, he was resigned.

_Obviously_, he thought sadly,_ I have gone mental._

**Alright, once again sorry for the delay, I hope you like it. Reveiw! **


	6. The Ministry

**Hi, thanks for your reveiws, they mean alot!**

**If any of you like Twilight as well as HP, you can check out another story I just started called 'Isabella Swan and the Magic Within'. It's going to be very different, basically the Twilight characters in the Harry Potter world, it's set quite a few years after Harry's time though, I think people will like it...please read the first chapter and let me know what you think.**

**Alright, on with the show!**

Chapter 5

The Ministry

Sirius was in a clean, comfortable room. He was alone. Earlier he had arrived at the Ministry to the clicks and flashes of numerous cameras and the loud calls of countless reporters.

_"Mr Black, how are you taking the news about the Potters?"_

_"Sirius Black, how do you feel about the Ministry throwing you in Azkaban without a trial eight years ago?"_

_"Black, is it true that Peter Pettigrew was the real traitor?"_

On and on they went as Sirius was escorted out of the main atrium, but their words barely registered in his mind. As soon as he had seen the paper in Fudge's car he convinced himself that it was all a hallucination.

"Mr. Black," Fudge had said after Sirius had pointed that out, "you are not hallucinating, the Potters are back and have done their damnedest to get you free, you weren't supposed to find out this way, some idiot forgot to clean out the car..."

Still Sirius was approaching the situation as cautiously as possible. He knew he had to be dreaming, or more likely hallucinating, as good dreams were few and far between in Azkaban. He was determined not to let himself believe what he was being told as he knew that whenever he snapped out of whatever strange daze he was in the heart break would kill him. Of course, he might never snap out of it, there was still a fairly good chance that he had finally succumbed to the terror that was Azkaban and gone stark raving mad.

He had been led to the room he was currently sitting in and left there to wait, for what, Sirius was unsure and he wasn't certain he cared much at the present either. The news paper he had found in the car was clutched tightly in his hands and he couldn't help but read and re read the article, over and over again.

There was a picture too. It was on the front page of 'The Prophet' and covered most of it. It showed a tired looking Lily and James smiling at the camera, but Sirius had known them well enough to detect a certain flicker of annoyance in their eyes. It almost made him smile.

'James', or the very realistic imaginary version of, had his arm around a small dark haired boy. Sirius knew that Harry had to be about ten years old now, if the date he was hallucinating was correct, he looked almost exactly as Sirius remembered James looking when he was eleven, only a little shorter and a little skinnier.

This 'Harry', was looking nervously at the camera, his cheeks turning pink and shifting anxiously from side to side with his feet. 'Lily' had his hand clutched in her own. Sirius had to credit himself if he really was hallucinating, the Potters looked incredibly convincing, there were no flaws to suggest that he was remembering them incorrectly. If he didn't know better he would say it was actually them.

"Fudge tells me you think you've gone looney."

Sirius turned towards the sound of the familiar voice, he kept his face carefully neutral. There, standing in the doorway were James and Lily

"I was in Azkaban for eight years," Sirius said indifferently to James who had spoken, "it is about time."

"Padfoot you aren't mental," James said with the slightest hint of a smile,"at least not any more than you always were."

"Although feel free emphasize any suffering you endured," Lily chimed in, "we're trying to get you as much out of this as possible."

"Of course I'm mental," Sirius said testily, "you're both dead, yet here you are, obviously the hallucinations of a mentally unstable man."

"Stop being a git," James said dryly, "I'm not a hallucination."

"That's exactly the sort of thing a hallucination would say."

Lily and James exchanged glances. Suddenly, without warning, James jumped forward and slapped him hard upside the head.

"Ow!"

"Did you feel that?"

"I think my great uncle Alphard felt it!"

"Good, then you're not hallucinating!" James said.

Sirius stared at him and James stared back.

"Prongs?" Sirius asked allowing a pinch of hope to colour his voice, "is it really you?"

"Of course it is you great prat!" James laughed.

With a loud whoop Sirius grabbed James in vice like hug, one arm shot out unexpectedly to pull Lily into it too.

"I can't believe this!" Sirius said, his voice shaking with emotion and his eyes bright with tears, "how is this possible?"

"Well, it's a long story," Lily began, "and the truth is we don't know really know ourselves, but there's no time to get into it now, your hearing is set to begin in fifteen minutes."

"Right, we'd better get going," James said.

Sirius let them out of his embrace but kept one arm thrown over both of their shoulders as they left the room.

"Tell me something," Sirius said grinning excitedly, "tell me anything! I can't believe you're back, this is incredible!"

"Yeah it is really," James said, "Dumbledore's still trying to figure out what happened and how it happened but it turns out that we never really died, some burst of magical energy sent us, unconsious, to Wales...we were lying in muggle hospital beds all these years."

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, "really?"

"It's amazing," Lily said, "but true, and what with Harry also surviving the killing curse 'The Prophet's' calling us 'the family who lived'."

"Yeah, I saw that," said Sirius,"you got Harry from the Dursleys then? He was in the picture with you."

At the mention of the Dursleys Lily and James' eyes darkened.

"What?" Sirius asked confused, "What is it?"

"They were horrid to him Padfoot," James said darkly, "they let their son bully him, and made him sleep in a cupboard, and told him we died in a car crash, that's all he knew of us...Not even our names. They didn't even feed him properly, he's so small and skinny!"

"No...they can't..." Sirius said sadly shaking his head in disbelief.

"They did," Lily said firmly, "and worst of all they never loved him, I don't know how they couldn't, he's the sweetest child you could imagine, Petunia will be hearing from me soon, very soon."

"It's all my fault," Sirius said softly.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"It's my fault," Sirius repeated, "Everything is, It's my fault you made Peter your secret keeper, it's my fault Harry had to live with the Dursleys...When I thought you'd died...I just, I was so angry, at myself, at Voldemort, but most of all at Peter...I tracked him down, it was in broad daylight, muggles were everywhere, but I didn't care. I pulled out my wand but before I could even say anything he panicked. He blew up half the street, cut off his finger and scurried off as a rat. In the confusion no one saw him and it looked like I was responsible, like i killed all those muggles...I got myself thrown in Azkaban."

"You did something stupid and reckless but we don't blame you," James said, "if it had been me I can't truthfully say I wouldn't have done the same."

Lily was silent and thoughtful.

"Wait a minute," she said suddenly, "Did you say Peter ran off?"

"Yes, he turned into a rat and dissappeared without a trace," Sirius confirmed angrily.

"Then he's still out there?" Lily said in a panicked voice.

Before the other two could respond, the door to the court room opened and Albus Dumbledore stepped out.

"Sirius, they are ready for you," he said gently, "I'm so sorry I ever doubted you my boy."

Sirius smiled and nodded as Dumbledore patted him on the back before he entered the court room. Lily and James followed him with worried looks on their faces.

oOo

"So, you are saying Mr Black, that Pettigrew is an illegal animagus?" Madam Bones asked in surprise.

His hearing was going well. Most members of the Wizengamot were there and they all seemed eager to hear Sirius' side of the story.

"Yes, that's right," Sirius said, "he changed into a rat."

"And you believe he is still at large?" A small creaking old wizard asked.

"I am certain, I saw him slip away with my own eyes."

"A full investigation will be conducted, looking into this," Fudge spoke up suddenly, "if Pettigrew is still in Britain we'll soon find out."

A loud murmering from the members of the Wizengamot followed this statement.

"I am certain Cornelius," Dumbledore began, "That we can now ascertain whether or not Mr Black is guilty of the crimes he was accused of."

"What?" Fudge said distractedly, "Oh yes, of course."

"Who believes Sirius Black guilty?" Fudge asked loudly.

No hands were raised. Sirius smiled.

"Sirius Black, you have been proven innocent," Amelia Bones said finally.

Hmm...I'm not sure if I like this chapter, couldn't really get it to flow like I wanted but...anyway.

Hope you liked it!

Till next time...


	7. Prongslet

**Hey, so I know this one is probably a little late but I had problems with my computer and I couldn't get on to write this and post it. I'm also having a bit of trouble with writers block, which is annoying because I actually know where I want this story to go, I just am having trouble getting there but...anyhoo...I'm trying my best!**

**Let's get on with it shall we...**

Chapter 6

Prongslet

Harry had never been so happy in his entire life. Even though he had only been with his parents for little over two weeks, it seemed to him as though the Dursleys, and all the suffering that went along with them, were miles away. Infact, Harry couldn't help but think with a grin, they quite literally _were _miles away. Miles and miles.

He would never forget the first time he saw his new home. He had been brought there, once again, by side-along apparation. He didn't think he'd ever like that feeling. After the dizziness wore off and he could breathe again. He was faced by the most beautiful house he'd ever seen. Granted, of course, it was a little worn down and had the look of a place long abandoned, but Harry thought it was just great.

It had to be called a house because it wasn't big enough to be called a mansion, however, it was a very, very, large house which was surrounded by very, very, large grounds. It was one of those big white affairs, with deep green ivy growing over one side of it and flowers lining the walk to the front door. The ivy needed a good trimming back and the flower beds had long been over run by weeds, but James said that the house of his childhood was almost how he remembered it and this was mostly due to Dumbledore keeping an eye on it.

The inside of the house was relatively clean but the air inside smelt musty and stale so the first order of business was throwing open the numerous windows. With the sunlight and fresh air streaming through, the Potters got a chance to look at their new home. The furniture was old fashioned and a bit worn with age, as was all of the decor, but the thing that made the Potters smile was the sense of warmth and home they got as they looked around.

When Lily and James were finally able to prise Harry away from the many pictures of his grandparents, his father in all stages of growth, his parents wedding day and of his own, infant, self (although James had been unable to tell which picture was baby Harry and which was baby James), they explored the upstairs of the house.

The house had three stories and each of the two upper floors contained lots of bedrooms and at least four bathrooms as well. Harry's grandparents' room was located on the second floor and was the largest one of all, it was empty for the most part except for the huge bed and great wardrobe. All of their valuables had either been passed on to James and Lily or put in storage. It was his father's old room that really captivated Harry.

Apparently his grandparents had left their only son's room untouched even when he married and moved out. Apart from some dust and the smell of age James' old was not any different from when he had last left it at age eighteen. The room was cluttered with evidence of adolescent life. Along the walls were moving posters of bands and quidditch teams in all different faded colours. The chest of drawers and bedside cabinet were covered with various odd objects but also pictures of James' Hogwarts days and of Lily and leaning against a wall on the far side of the room was an old broomstick.

"Dad..." Harry spoke hesitantly, "could I, maybe, have this room?"

Lily and James had promised him his own room and the choice to pick one of any of the rooms in the whole house.

"Of course you can Harry," James grinned ruffling his son's hair, "er...just let's clean it up a bit, and I think make sure there's nothing...inappropiate."

oOo

Earlier that morning many things had happened all at once. Firstly Harry had met one of his parents' oldest friends, a tired and worn looking man called Remus Lupin, though James had referred to him as 'Mooney'. Remus was very kind and friendly and spoke to Harry as though he had known him for a very long time.

"Harry, it's wonderful to see you again," had been Remus' first warm words to him, "looking at you...It's almost like seeing your father again, the first time I ever met him. Could hardly have told you apart, except you've got your mother's eyes."

Harry hadn't gotten a very long time to get to know Remus before there was a very important arrival in Dumbledore's office, the Minister of Magic, one Cornelius Fudge. Fudge had been rattled, Fudge had been shocked, Fudge had shouted and ranted and called Dumbledore a mad man and his parents imposters, but in the end Fudge was forced to face to evidence and he welcomed Lily and James back into the world with a flurry of reporters and photographers.

Later when the reporters went away Lily and James requested an audience with the Minister to speak about some private matter that Harry felt very curious about. Remus, who spent the time while his parents were with Fudge talking to Harry, merely told him that the matter revolved aroud another friend of theirs who his parents were trying to help. Harry could get no other imformation out of him but was promised that all would be revealed in due time.

When his Lily and James finally exited Dumbledore's office, both wore smiles and James carried a small golden key. A key to the house Harry would soon live in for the remainder of his childhood. The house which the Potters soon got busy tidying up with Remus' help. Thankfully this was not too difficult as Dumbledore had summoned to Hogwarts his old friend Ollivander, a famous wandmaker, who provided new wands for the Potters.

That night Harry slept for the first time in the comfort of his own room in a very large and soft bed and the next morning he ate a breakfast cooked by his own mother with his parents in the kitchen of his new home. Yes, Harry had never been happier, even when his parents received a summons from the Ministry of Magic at around mid day, announcing that they were to attend a hearing at the Ministry. They kissed Harry goodbye and promised they would be back as soon as possible. Remus stayed with him again, they played exploding snap and Wizard's chess, which was much more fun than muggle chess, and Remus told him a few happy stories about when he was at school with his father. Soon it got late and the sky grew very, very dark but Harry struggled to keep his eyes open because he wanted to be up when his parents got back.

Yes, he'd be up when they got back...

Up when they got back...

Up...when they...

oOo

Harry woke with a start that morning and realised he was in bed in his father's old room, his own new room. Someone must have moved him there sometime during the night because he distinctly remembered falling asleep on the downstairs couch. He saw in the corner of his eye, the time on the clock hanging above the door. It was ten in the morning, he never slept that late, ever. Aunt Petunia hadn't allowed it. For a moment he worried he'd be in trouble but then he remembered that his parents were absolutely nothing like his aunt and uncle.

Just the thought of his parents had him leaping out of bed and rushing down the stairs. He had missed their return home last night and needed to see them again. He smelt the scent of coffee and french toast coming from the kitchen and ran there only to see his mother and father chatting away merrily with a ragged looking stranger. Harry stared in amazement at the man.

He was tall and skinny, with a thin gaunt face and grey, haunted eyes, his black hair was limp and dull and long. He had the appearance of a once handsome man who had lost his brilliance in some terrible ordeal.

He soon caught Harry staring at him and a swift smile overtook his face and for an instant he looked young and buoyant, though the eerie look in his eyes did not completely vanish.

"It isn't the Prongslet!" Sirius cried happily, turning in his seat at the breakfast table to get a better look at Harry, who was still staring at his in wonder.

"Er...good morning..." Harry said nervously, unsure of how to respond and not completely sure what the man had just called him and what it meant.

Sirius shook his head, still grinning, and walked towards Harry, suddenly Harry found himself swept up in a tight hug.

"Now is that any way to greet your godfather?" he asked smirking at Harry's look of surprise.

**So sorry for how long this took, I've had a bit of a block on how to get this story where I want it to go, like I said before, I know where I'm going, it's just getting there that's tricky. That's life, eh? Anyway, sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed, more to come asap. Also if you have the time check out my new story 'Iabella Swan and the Magic Within, you don't have to like twilight to read it, Its set in the Wizarding World, I'm just borrowing the Twilight characters. Give it a chance, I'm thinking it has potential.**

**Please review if you liked and even if you didn't, constructive critiscism is welcomed and heeded and if necessary explanations can be offered. Hoped you enjoyed this chapter, till the next...**


	8. Sisterhood Severed

**Hi, so sorry I've not updated in an age. I didn't have access to a computer till now. Thanks for your reviews for the last chapter. I don't want to give anything away but all shan't be perfect for ever. Hee Hee!**

**But you'll have to read to find out won't you? **

**So without further ado, here's chapter 7!**

Chapter 7

Sisterhood Severed

Lily arrived with a pop in the middle of the road. Around her, the neighbourhood was a picture of quiet suburban life. The gardens were lined with flower beds, the houses were all large and pretty, in their driveways expensive cars were parked and on every door of every house was a shiny gold number. Lily was looking for one number in particular, four.

She had never actually been to Privet Drive and seen the house her sister moved into after her marriage to Dursley. Her mother had mentioned it to her more than once, perhaps in the attempt to influence Lily to visit her sister. However Lily was not the sort to show up uninvited, that is, not under normal circumstances. Tonight was an exception, and it was a long time coming too.

Tonight Lily would do the thing she had fought against doing for most of her chidhood and teenage years, and she wouldn't feel guilty about it.

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when she stood in front of her sister's door. She'd worn robes, deep purple ones for this occasion. She wasn't going to do anything to make Petunia comfortable. Let her think that all her neighbours had seen Lily walking about in her wizarding attire, she didn't need to know about the disallusionment charm Lily had done to hide from prying Muggle eyes.

Lily pressed a finger to the doorbell and waited. She knew it was only Petunia home, after all, she herself had sent the letter to Vernon Dursley regarding the special father and son wrestling show, never mind it didn't exist, it got her ornery brother in law and the nephew she'd never met out of the house for a few hours. That was all she needed.

The minute the door swung open and Petunia saw that it was her younger sister standing behind it, she gasped. Quickly she managed to somewhat compose her face but her eyes remained wide and disbelieving.

"It's...It's true then?" She was able to to choke out eventually, "You're not dead."

"It certainly doesn't seem so 'Tuney'," Lily said coldly, "are you going to let me in, we have a lot to talk about."

Not waiting for an answer, Lily stepped around her sister and into the house. She wasn't going to be bothered with pleasantries, Petunia didn't deserve them. Lily strode into the house purposefully. An open door in the hall led into the kitchen, Lily peered inside. It was spotlessly clean, each white marble surface was shining and the silver taps and basin of the sink sparkled in the light coming through the gleaming window above them.

Lily and Petunia's mother had instilled in both girls the skills necessary to keep a house clean, she herself had been an excellent housekeeper, but Lily had always thought that Petunia went a little far when it came to cleaning, when she was about sixteen Lily had been certain that she was bordering on obsessive about it.

Lily continued down the hall and stopped when she came to the stairs. There she found the little door built into the side which led to the cupboard where her ten year old son had slept all his life. She swung the door open, taking in the dust and cobwebs which clung to the ceiling, the scuttling spiders and the tiny bed that had somehow been squeezed into the cramped space.

Rather than the anger she'd expected, Lily felt tears pricking in her eyes. She turned away, her back to Petunia and the cupboard under the stairs.

"That's where he slept," she said with a catch in her voice as she attempted to get control of her emotions.

"I-" Petunia started but Lily turned and raised a hand to halt her words.

"Not yet," was her only statement as she turned to the door opposite the cupboard and pushed it open. It was the door to the living room. This too was pristine, the pale blue carpet was spotless and the cream rug, couches and curtains were almost glowing. There was nothing around to suggest that there were any children in the house. Nothing except for the pictures. There were dozens of them. On the walls, on the mantelpiece, the television stand and the shelves built into the wall, and almost all of them seemed to be of a young pink cheeked and very round boy with Petunia's blonde hair and Vernon's beady eyes.

Her nephew, Dudley. Lily had questioned Harry as to his relationship with his cousin and learned that the boy bullied her son and further more, after alot more prompting, that he had basically turned everyone at their primary school against Harry. Lily knew he was only going by example, his parents were horrid to Harry and therefore so would he be. It sickened her that Petunia allowed this

She finally turned away from the pictures and fixed her gaze on her sister. She looked just as Lily remembered her. Tall, pale, long necked and thin lipped with short blonde hair in a sensible hair cut. She hadn't aged much at all.

"Your son?" Lily asked stiffly, gesturing to a picture of Dudley sitting like a large pink boulder on a bright red bicycle.

Petunia nodded warily.

"Tell me," Lily said conversationaly, "Is there another cupboard somewhere that you keep him in?"

When Petunia failed to respond other then looking away Lily continued.

"Or is that right only reserved for my son?" Lily asked allowing anger to colour her words, "Look me in the eyes Petunia, it's a little late to be ashamed isn't it?"

Petunia finally looked up.

"You don't understand," she said steadily, "you can't even begin to imagine what it was like for me-"

"What it was like for you?" Lily cut her off incredulously, "What about Harry? What about my son? My baby, who not only had to grow up without his parents but also without love or patience or even his own clothes to wear and enough food to eat!"

Lily's eyes flashed angrily as she advanced on her sister who noticeably moved futher away.

"How could you!" Lily cried, "How could you do that to my child! Your own flesh and blood, family! You thought I was dead Petunia, and you couldn't even bear to do me one favour, after everything, and just take care of my son!"

"I did!" Petunia shrieked, "I took him in didn't I, put clothes on his back and a roof over his head, I didn't have to, Vernon didn't want one your sort living in his house and neither did I but I took him anyway!"

"Ha!" Lily said contemptuously, "you only did that because you were afraid! Don't lie to me Petunia, what you did was not out of the kindness of your heart, and you did the bare minimum anyway. The clothes you gave Harry were castoffs from your son, they barely even fit him without sliding off and as for the roof over his head? This may be the house he lived in but it was never his home was it? You made sure of that."

"What do you want me to say," Petunia said once again avoiding her sister's eyes, "that I'm sorry? Well I won't say that to you. All my life I lived in the shadow of my younger sister and when she 'dies' she pawns her little...her child off to me. I don't owe you anything."

"Say it!" Lily shouted, "Say it! Freak! It doesn't hurt me anymore, I am what I am and so is my son and I'm proud of him! I'm not here to make you say sorry. I don't want to hear it and it wouldn't make a difference anyway. May be it would've once, but not now. I'll never forgive you now. No Petunia, I'm not here to hear your apologies, and don't look so worried, I'm not here to hex you either, I'm here to say goodbye.

"I'm saying goodbye to the older sister I loved and looked up to. The sister I used to play with in the park and felt lucky to do so. The one that made me cry for weeks when she wouldn't talk to me after I got my school letter. I'm saying goodbye to the girl who called me every horrid name under the sun each time I came home on holiday. The girl I would've forgiven in an instant if she ever said sorry, because I still loved her even then, but she never said sorry.

"I'm saying goodbye to the missing family member at my wedding, the one that made me cry my eyes out when I realised she wasn't coming. And Petunia, I am saying goodbye to the woman who made my son feel the way you always made me feel, unwanted and unloved. So goodbye Petunia, you are no longer my sister, I hope we never meet again."

It was only after she'd left the house and walked a little ways up the street that Lily allowed herself to to cry and little did she know that inside number four privet drive, her sister was doing the same.

She arrived with a pop outside the door to her house and immediately it was thrown open and her husbands arms were around her. She leant into him, allowing her tears to fall freely, knowing he understood.

"I wish you'd let me come with you," he said wiping her tears away with his thumb, "I know how difficult that must have been for you, I could've been there."

"No," Lily shook her head, "I had to do it on my own. I should've done it long ago...besides, one of us should always be with Harry, he's been without us for too long, where is he anyway?"

James realised her desire to change the subject and complied.

"He's round the back, Sirius and I were teaching him how to fly."

He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her hair.

"It's all going to be fine now Lily," he said leading her into the house, "we're all together and that's all we'll ever need."

**Ok, likey or no likey?**

**I was actually going to make this the end of the story, what with 7 being the most magical of numbers and all, and then continue with a sequel, wherein Harry goes to Hogwarts. Only his parents are alive and all...what do you think?**

**Let me know!**

**Love you lots and till the next!**


	9. AN Sequel is up!

A/N-

Hellooo! So I just wanted to let you know...Sequel is up!

It's called 'Harry Potter and The Professor's Secret' I hope you enjoy it. Let me know!


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